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Jerome Arizona is an artists’ paradise.  There are painters, potters, jewelry makers, wine makers, rock stars, photographers, website designers, musicians, designers, all in the area of 1 square mile.  Jerome Arizona is precariously perched on a 30 degree sloped Cleopatra Hill.  This little town is on the National Registry of Historic Places with views of the Verde Valley, Sedona, the San Francisco Peaks and the Mogollon Rim.  There are between 1.5 to 2 million visitors to this little community each and every year.  Some visitors are attracted to the History while others are in search of that perfect glass of wine or that wonderful hand-crafted item that they can take home with them.

The Jerome Historical Society runs a mine museum and gift shop that is a must see when visiting this quaint little town.

Another interesting spot is just a mile past the Jerome FD on Perkinsville road, known as the Gold King Mine & Ghost Town.  The Gold King Mine is a treasure trove of old trucks, old buildings, a working sawmill and a photographers paradise.

Perhaps your craving an adult beverage and would like to spend the night and take in some of the local musical talent.  The Spirit Room and Connor Hotel are a perfect place to do just that!

Paul & Jerry’s Saloon, the oldest family owned bar in Arizona is just down Main street.  Marvel at the copper ceiling and the old bar where the locals tend to hang out.

Interested in learning more?  Check out the Jerome Chamber of Commerce website.

Interested in photographic art?

Ron Chilston lived in Jerome from the fall of 2005 until February, 2021.  Ron is a photographer, website guy and now adds; retired musician, Assistant Fire Chief, Firefighter and EMT.  Ron and his significant other, Carla, live in San Manuel, Arizona.  Where the Hell is San Manuel, you may ask?  San Manuel was the first planned community, built of block homes in the typical Arizona style, beginning in 1954.  

Rons photographs of Jerome and his photos of the views from Jerome are stunning.

Check out his work at JeromePhotos.com

About

Jerome is a town in the Black Hills of Yavapai County in the State of Arizona. Founded in the late 19th century on Cleopatra Hill overlooking the Verde Valley, it is more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level. It is about 100 miles (160 km) north of Phoenix along State Route 89A between Sedona and Prescott. Supported in its heyday by rich copper mines, it was home to more than 10,000 people in the 1920s. As of the 2010 census, its population was 444.[3]

The town owes its existence mainly to two ore bodies that formed about 1.75 billion years ago along a ring fault in the caldera of an undersea volcano. Tectonic plate movements, plate collisions, uplift, deposition, erosion, and other geologic processes eventually exposed the tip of one of the ore bodies and pushed the other close to the surface, both near Jerome. In the late 19th century, the United Verde Mine, developed by William A. Clark, extracted ore bearing copper, gold, silver, and other metals from the larger of the two. The United Verde Extension (UVX) Mine, owned by James Douglas, Jr., depended on the other huge deposit. In total, the copper deposits discovered in the vicinity of Jerome were among the richest ever found in any time or place.

Jerome made news in 1917, when strikes involving the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) led to the expulsion at gunpoint of about 60 IWW members, who were loaded on a cattle car and shipped west. Production at the mines, always subject to fluctuations for various reasons, boomed during World War I, fell thereafter, rose again, then fell again during and after the Great Depression. As the ore deposits became exhausted, the mines closed, and the population dwindled to fewer than 100 by the mid-1950s. Efforts to save the town from oblivion succeeded when residents turned to tourism and retail sales. Jerome became a National Historic Landmark in 1967. In the early 21st century, Jerome has art galleries, coffee houses, restaurants, wineries, and a state park and local museum devoted to mining history.

Content courtesy of Wikipedia

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A bygone era

Before moving to Jerome, I would drive from Phoenix to Cottonwood to visit my parents.  They had moved there in 2001.  Every time I visited my parents, I would make the trip up the hill to Jerome.  I befriended Cowboy Bob after taking a few photos of his horse and buggy rig in Jerome.  It …

Continue reading “A bygone era”

Contact

Want to get in touch with Ron Chilston about this website or about his photographic art?

Please feel free to contact him via this form and if you’re ever in Jerome, please enjoy while respecting this amazing community of artisans.